


we're burning one hell of a something

by ingberry



Series: The Ember Series [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alpha Merlin, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Arthur, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Semi-Public Sex, Shower Sex, Unsafe Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 05:14:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1886421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ingberry/pseuds/ingberry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Arthur had planned for the day was beating Mercia senseless on the football pitch. He hadn't counted on his heat coming a week early.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we're burning one hell of a something

**Author's Note:**

> I woke up one day and thought "hey, Merlin fandom really doesn't have enough A/B/O fic" and so I decided I needed to write one! (Sorry if you in no way thought Merlin fandom needed more A/B/O fic, it's here whether you want it to be or not. Meheheh.)
> 
> Both characters are still in school, but over the age of consent in the UK. 
> 
> This fic also contains elements of dub con because of the nature of heat cycles and A/B/O dynamics. 
> 
> Thanks so much to my betas alby_mangroves and emjayelle for their advice and corrections. Betas are the best. Am I right or am I right?
> 
> (title from Ellie Goulding's _Burn_ because I'm just _that_ original. Oops?)

Arthur rolled his shoulders to get the tension out, angling his head from side to side. 

It was a cold night for September and there was a hint of drizzle that made his skin damp. He didn’t mind, though; the smell of fresh, dewy grass made him lighter, and the nervous knot in his stomach eased a little. 

“Come on, Captain,” Gwaine said and held out his fist. “Look alive.”

Arthur forced a grin and fist-bumped him. “Let’s bloody win this so we can actually show our faces at school tomorrow.”

Jumping on the spot, Arthur shook his legs to keep the momentum from the warm ups. 

“Alright, come in here,” he called, waiting as his teammates flocked around him. 

As they huddled together, he looked up to see Leon’s stoic concentration-face and then Percy’s easy smile. This was usually when the nerves for the match evaporated. The moment the team came together for a final pep, his heart rate would fall and everything would narrow into focus. 

But this time it didn’t. 

As he took his spot mid-field, he was still tense and his skin too tight. Maybe it was because Merlin wasn’t here, which might have been the world’s most pathetic thought. He hadn’t even expected him to be there after that row they’d had yesterday. And, for fuck’s sake, he didn’t even know Merlin, not really. They’d never really been friends or anything. Merlin sat in front of him in English, was a regular in the stands during footie games, and according to his dad, they had a brief stint as playground mates when they were about two. 

That was about it. 

Oh, and they’d had lunch together that one time because of Lance and Gwen. 

And then there was the fact that Merlin was the only Alpha who’d ever made him leak into his pants at mere eye contact. 

He missed the kick off. For a disorienting fraction of a second, he couldn’t process why the ball was hurtling towards his head, but then he stepped back and brought it down on his chest, trying to shake the confusion as two Mercia players zoned in on him. The pass to Percy missed by a mile. The next time he had the ball in his possession, his attempt at dribbling caused him to trip over his own feet. It was like he’d never fucking done this before in his life. When his free kick went straight up and over the goal, he balled his hands into fists and let out a string of curses. Gwaine jogged past him, giving him a rough pat on the shoulder. 

Arthur dipped his head back and squared his jaw. This was fucking ridiculous. He hadn’t been this bad at playing ball since he was seven. He glanced at the spectators in the stands. They were scattered across the benches in groups, features indistinct and blurry. There were a few vague shapes that could be Merlin. Maybe. 

Breath was pushed from his lungs as someone barrelled into him. The world tilted and the grass dampened the back of his shirt. He blinked at the sky, struggling to understand what had just happened. His vision blurred at the edges, and he blinked rapidly. Suddenly, Gwaine was leaning over him, mouth moving. 

Arthur couldn’t focus, there were too many sounds at once, a constant buzz around him. His skin burned. There was a lick of heat travelling up his back, and … _Oh. Shit. Fuck._

No, no, no. It was too early for this. 

He groaned, mortified, and if he allowed himself to admit it, terrified. Rolling onto his stomach, he pushed himself up, grass scratching at his palms like velcro. He staggered towards the stands, ignoring the referee jogging next to him and speaking words Arthur couldn’t make sense of. Coach gripped him by the shoulders when he got to the edge of the field. His hands were heavy and wrong, and Arthur struggled to shrug him off. Instead of backing off, Coach pushed into his face, forcing Arthur to look at him. 

“You need to get out of here. You reek.” Coach spoke slowly, forcing Arthur to keep focus on his words. “You’re going to attract every Alpha for miles.”

Arthur tried to reply, but his tongue felt as dry as sandpaper. 

“Do you have anyone here who can take you home?” 

Arthur shook his head. It was so heavy on his shoulders he was certain he couldn’t hold it up any longer. 

“I’ve got it,” Merlin said, and Arthur jerked at the sound of his voice. It was clear as day, cutting through the never-ending buzz of everything else. Arthur twisted out of Coach’s grip and moved towards the sound of Merlin’s voice until he connected with the solid shape of his body. 

He whimpered, embarrassingly, as he pushed his face into Merlin’s shoulder.

“Thank god,” Coach’s muffled voice said. “Just get him out of here, before everyone sees way more of him than they need to.”

The smell of Merlin’s body sent him into a full-bodied shiver, the relief of it stronger than anything he’d experienced. He’d never been close to an Alpha when he was in heat before, and this was way more overwhelming than he’d ever thought it would be. 

“Come on,” Merlin said, voice like a soothing breeze over his skin. “Jesus, you’re heavy. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were going into heat? And why would you even try to play a footie match like this?”

Arthur pressed his face into Merlin’s neck and inhaled deeply. It centred him a little, a core of calm settling in his gut. 

“Next week,” he said, tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth.

“What?” Merlin steered them along. Arthur couldn’t keep up with where they were going. 

“Early.”

“Oh. You weren’t supposed to go into heat until next week?” 

Arthur shook his head. He wasn’t done stocking up, he hadn’t applied for Omega leave from school, he—

“Well, shit. I guess. You know, Nimueh mentioned in class once that strong emotions can trigger it sometimes. Maybe it’s the fight we had.”

Being reminded of the fight made Arthur’s skin prickle unpleasantly again. Merlin had kept repeating that they didn’t know anything about each other; that it didn’t matter that they were compatible; that Merlin had the right to choose, even if his Alpha instincts tried to tell him what to do. 

Arthur pushed himself away from the lean length of Merlin’s body, stumbling against a cool, concrete wall. 

“Arthur.” Merlin’s frustration made Arthur want to fix it, make it better somehow, but he resisted, pressing his cheek against the concrete. “You stubborn git. At least let me get you to the locker room.” 

He didn’t really have the strength to protest as Merlin’s fingers slid across the back of his hand. They made his nerves sing, the suffocating burning heat gliding over his skin like flames. 

He fixated on the steady beat of Merlin’s pulse. He could see it in that spot on Merlin’s neck, hypnotising and exhilarating, and he couldn’t stop staring at it until Merlin suddenly pushed him down onto the bench under the lockers. 

“Jesus, you’re so fucking gone.” Merlin crouched in front of him, gnawing at his lower lip. “Arthur, I don’t know shit about this. I’ve never seen an Omega in heat before. I don’t… I don’t think there’s any way to get you home in time.” 

Arthur shook his head. There was no way. Even if his dad came to get him, he’d end up getting himself off in the car and that would just be _terrible_ all around. 

“Leave,” he said, his voice an odd croak. 

Merlin’s eyes snapped up, his jaw clenching. “What? No. You’re a mess, Arthur, I’m not going to just leave you here.”

“I _can’t_.” 

With a frustrated groan, Arthur slipped down on the bench, sideways, his cheek pressed to the wood. 

“You can’t what?”

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, growing increasingly aware of the painful erection tenting his shorts and the overwhelming wetness of his hole. 

He gripped the side of the bench, whimpering. “Choice.”

“Oh, god, Arthur.” Merlin’s finger threaded into his hair and Arthur shuddered, sweat sliding from his forehead to his cheek. “It’s fine, I—“ He was starting to sound affected too, his breath laboured. Merlin’s every reaction stood stark in the otherwise blurry landscape of Arthur’s mind. 

“I know what I said, and I meant it.” Merlin was so close now that Arthur could feel his breath on his heated skin. “But I want it. I’m choosing.”

“Alpha instincts,” Arthur said, pushing back against the lockers to find more distance. They were oddly cool against his back. 

“No. Yeah. I mean, of course.” Merlin radiated tension. “I don’t care. Jesus Christ, Arthur, fucking _look at you_.”

Arthur gasped wetly, pushing the heel of his hand to his cock. The relief made his hips buck and he groaned, mind spinning with the unbearable need. He’d hated this feeling of helpless need for a long time, and it was only lately he thought he’d come to terms with it. 

As an Omega he had no control when he was like this. All he had was the vain hope that he would find an Alpha he could trust. 

“I could smell you miles away out there,” Merlin mutters, his voice too close. “It’s everywhere. And you’ve always smelled so…”

Merlin’s breath ghosted over his skin when he buried his face in Arthur’s neck, the skin on skin contact making Arthur’s body vibrate like a plucked string. He squeezed his eyes shut as he was pulled into the uncontrollable whirl of want breaking him apart from the inside out. 

He slung his arm around Merlin’s shoulder, hand twisting the back of Merlin’s t-shirt, and he tried to pull Merlin down onto the bench with him, but it was too narrow to work. He looked up, blinking several times to get Merlin’s face into focus. Merlin kept one knee on the edge of the bench, bending over him, one hand at his waist. 

Arthur pressed his lips together, fighting to hold back the whine at the back of his throat. 

“Shh.” The hand at Arthur’s waist slid carefully over his stomach. “I’ll do it, Arthur. I’ll take care of—“ Merlin’s voice broke, giving into a full body shiver. “I’ll take care of you so good. I’ll fuck you, make it better.” He paused, fingers gripping at Arthur’s shirt. “I’ll knot you.”

Something inside Arthur broke and he surged up, covering Merlin’s mouth with his own, one hand cradling the back of his head. He fell back onto the bench and took Merlin with him, kissing him so sloppily it was barely a kiss at all and more like an attack on his mouth. Merlin pawed at his chest, tongue eagerly licking at Arthur’s upper lip as he took control of the kiss. 

Merlin slid his hands up to cup Arthur’s face, angling Arthur’s head until their kiss was languid and deep. He pulled back until their lips were barely even touching, brushing lightly across Arthur’s mouth. Humming softly, Merlin pulled away and smiled. Before Arthur could smile back, Merlin leaned in and nipped at his jaw, lips soft and unbearably hot on his skin. Arthur breaths were shallow. His heart beat too fast in his chest. It was like an odd flutter, and his skin felt so tight it almost hurt. 

He’d been in heat, but with the lack of an Alpha to respond to, it had never been like this. He realised too late that he was about to start hyperventilating, but Merlin had caught on and paused, his eyes large and cautious. 

Merlin had looked relatively composed when they came in here, as far as Arthur could remember, but in the span of minutes he’d turned into a wreck. His cheeks were blotchy red and he was radiating something that made Arthur’s head spin. It was leaking out of Merlin and it drove Arthur to the edge of insanity. 

“Shit, Arthur, what do we—“ Merlin held his palm over Arthur’s chest, grounding him. “You’re not looking very good.”

Arthur licked his lips, and they felt dry, even after the messiness of their kiss. “Thanks,” he croaked.

“I need to fuck you. You need it. I think? Right now, probably, I—”

Gripping Merlin’s upper arm so hard it had to bruise, Arthur bucked his hips involuntarily. “Just _do it_. Never been this far before, please, I can’t—” 

Merlin scrambled off of him, wrenching himself out of Arthur’s grip, and pushed at Arthur until he realised Merlin wanted him to turn around. He let himself be guided onto his knees, where he wobbled precariously on the bench, his right leg pressing up against the cool surface of the lockers. 

Merlin slid Arthur’s shorts and boxers down, and Arthur fell forwards on his elbows when the cool air made his thighs shake. The sudden exposure to it made him doubly aware of the sticky wetness in his arse and on the inside of his thighs. He didn’t know there could be this much of it. He was pretty sure it’d never end. 

His chest tightened with nerves. Looking over his shoulder, he cast a glance at Merlin who put a shaking hand on his naked arse, touch cautious. There was a strange contrast between Merlin’s careful handling and the wild look in his eyes. 

Merlin had to put one leg down on the floor to brace himself, the other still on the bench, and he scooted forwards, until Arthur could feel the warmth of him. He thought Alphas were supposed to make it better, and instead Arthur was even more lost and overwhelmed.

Arthur leaned forward until his cheek lay against the bench, hoping it’d cool him, ground him. Merlin’s cock breached him, slid in so fast it was almost too much. Arthur’s arse just took it, claimed it, accepted what it’d been needing all along. It opened up so easily that Merlin was buried to the hilt immediately, his thighs pressed to Arthur’s. A coil of tension snapped in Arthur’s gut and he cried out, too overwhelmed to do anything but feel the thickness of it filling him up and soothing all the burns he thought were going to consume him. 

He teared up in relief when Merlin pulled out and gave an experimental thrust, his hands shaking on Arthur’s hips. The movements of Merlin’s hips were erratic and unpractised, but every little move Merlin made brought Arthur a sense of healing. Fingers gripping at the bench, he rocked back onto Merlin’s cock, sobbing in relief at the way it put him back together. The buzz of noises and onslaught of sensations from too many places at once narrowed to the slide of Merlin’s cock, his breathy moans, the fluttering touches of his fingers. 

Arthur’s mind went nearly blank, everything else falling away as Merlin fucked him, his rhythm steady now, thrusts deep. Arthur loved when Merlin was buried as far as he could go, his thighs pressed against Arthur’s, dick stretching Arthur’s hole. His Omega instincts soared at being so full. 

His thoughts were no longer a jumbled mess, and his body listened to commands. It was a relief unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was like all the wires of his senses had been crossed, but now everything was in its right place again.

“I can’t fucking believe you weren’t more prepared for this,” Arthur said, voice only shaking a little as Merlin fucked him. “You have Alpha classes in school! You’re supposed to be prepared.”

Merlin just made a strangled, wet noise and his hands tightened on Arthur’s waist. 

“All those classes and you were here all timid and not knowing what to do with an Omega in heat!” 

All the things he hadn’t been able to say in his heat-addled mind tumbled out of him, and he pushed back into Merlin’s thrusts with force. He looked over his shoulder and faltered at the way Merlin was hunched over him, his breath so laboured that he was nearly gulping it in. 

Merlin was falling apart, the desperate movement of his hips mere instinct at this point. When he looked up to meet Arthur's gaze, his eyes were burning golden. 

Holy shit. 

“Come on,” Arthur said, and had to put one leg down on the floor to steady himself as Merlin whined and buried himself deep in Arthur’s arse. 

Sounds kept pouring out of Merlin as Arthur felt the first swellings of Merlin’s knot. He swore at the feeling, and tried to make himself comfortable with Merlin draped over his back. Arthur’s shirt was soaked with sweat, and it pressed to his back, damp and uncomfortable. 

His senses were hypersensitive, too raw for the rapid swell of the knot pushing him open. His eyes went wide and his breath was shallow with panic. He couldn’t possibly take this, couldn’t ever—

Merlin nuzzled into his back, his hand coming to rest on Arthur’s stomach, shakily rubbing soothing circles against it. 

“Arthur,” he moaned, voice wrecked, and that was it: Arthur felt a rush of warmth in his chest and a flow of wetness easing the way for Merlin’s knot. 

He closed his eyes, breathing through the strange sensation in his arse. The heat had eased back a little, but the knot brought some of the muddiness back to his mind now as lazy curls of want and pleasure radiated across his skin. He began rocking down on it, smiling to himself when Merlin cried out, his voice breaking. Merlin was lost somewhere in his Alpha-driven mind, and if it was as weird in there as Arthur’s Omega-driven mind, he couldn’t blame Merlin for being lost to the world. 

And then, suddenly, Merlin hitched his hips, the knot catching on the rim of Arthur’s hole before it swelled again and pushed right against his prostate, sending him bucking against Merlin, his whole body taut with mind-numbing pleasure. 

He yelled, his orgasm almost painful as it tore through him. Merlin didn’t stop moving, the knot pressing against his oversensitive prostate, too much, as Arthur went boneless. Somehow, Merlin had the presence of mind to hold him up, at least with some success. 

Merlin came with a strangled cry, knot pulsing in Arthur’s arse as Merlin spilled inside him over and over, until Arthur thought it might never stop filling him up. A rush of satisfaction so strong it completely overwhelmed him settled in his chest.

When the high of the orgasm settled, Arthur became increasingly aware of the ache in his knees and the discomfort of having Merlin draped across his back. He liked the strange intimacy of it, the weight on him, Merlin’s breath brushing across his skin and Merlin’s knot still swollen inside. But it wasn’t comfortable. 

He tried to shift, wincing at the pull of the knot and the jolt in his knees. At this, Merlin seemed to stir, his hands gripping at Arthur’s sides. 

“Shouldn’t have done this here.” Merlin’s voice sounded like he hadn’t used it in ten years. 

“There weren’t really any alternatives, Merlin.”

“Not comfortable for you.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m a hell of a lot more comfortable now than I was.”

Thinking back on how gone he’d been, Arthur hid his face against his forearm. “Everyone on that fucking pitch, oh my god.”

“It’s only natural.”

“Doesn’t mean I want everyone seeing me like that.”

“’Course not, but you shouldn’t feel ashamed. Nothing to be ashamed ‘bout.”

The pressure of the knot was smaller now, but not by much, and a brief moment of panic came over him. What if they were stuck together at half-time when the team came piling in? 

Merlin moved experimentally, and Arthur gave a feeble moan. It sent a hum of sated pleasure through him. 

“Tried not to knot all the way,” Merlin said. He wasn’t bracing his entire weight on Arthur’s back anymore. Instead, he ran his hands softly along Arthur’s sides. 

“ _That_ wasn’t all the way? Jesus Bloody Christ.” 

Merlin laughed. “No, not really. But almost. I couldn’t control it more. I hope it’ll go down quicker, though.”

It did, thankfully. But they still decided to try to move when the knot was still noticeably there. It caught on his rim and Arthur grunted in pain, but he grit his teeth until Merlin managed to pull out. It was the strangest thing he’d ever felt. The knot had been like a plug and without it, fluids trickled out of him. 

Part of him liked it. He assumed it was the Omega in him that preened at their combined fluids, because the rest of him thought it was pretty fucking gross. 

He eased himself off the bench, his muscles screaming in protest as he straightened up. Stretching, he tried to get the stiffness out of his body. He felt almost like himself again, but there was a core of heat in the pit of his stomach, like burning embers waiting to flame up again. He liked this steady warmth. It was something else entirely than the out of control symptoms of heat. 

They’d be back, though. He didn’t know how long he’d managed to hold them back for. 

“And fuck you, Arthur, I am prepared for this!” Merlin said, suddenly. “But no Alpha classes in the world prepares anyone for sneak heat attacks on a footie pitch, you fucking dick.”

Arthur snorted, and reached into his locker to find his phone. They still had ten minutes left until half-time. 

“We have time to shower,” he said, and grabbed Merlin by the wrist.

“We should really get out of here. You can shower at home. I’m not super into your whole team coming in to find me in the shower.”

“So you want me to walk the streets reeking of your come? What am I saying? You’re an Alpha, of course you do.”

“Hey, that’s a terrible stereotype and I’ll have you know that I—”

“Shut up and strip.”

Arthur threw his sweat-soaked clothes into a pile on the floor and hurried into the shower, groaning in relief when the hot spray of water massaged his sore muscles. He opened his eyes when Merlin came in. It was strange how he’d just had Merlin’s cock in him, but seeing him naked for the first time made Arthur’s stomach flutter with nervousness like they hadn’t just fucked. 

Merlin was still hard, his knot visible, but not very large. Arthur knew it had to be a little painful. If they’d been able to do this properly, Merlin would’ve knotted him completely and stayed inside him until he’d slipped out with ease. He was willing to bet Merlin didn’t feel the same bone-deep satisfaction as he did. 

Arthur massaged his scalp under the spray of water. Even without taking the time to find soap, he felt much cleaner. He turned to face the wall, letting the warm pressure soothe the sore muscles in his back.

Catching Merlin watching him out of the corner of his eye, Arthur raised and eyebrow and Merlin looked away so fast Arthur swore he could hear his neck crack. 

“Did you just check out my arse?”

“ _No_.”

Arthur grinned gleefully. “You did.”

Merlin’s lips pursed. “Yeah, well, you were ogling me when I came in, so I don’t see you having any room to talk!”

There wasn’t really any use denying it. He had been following the lean lines of Merlin’s body, the surprisingly defined muscles in his arms and legs. 

Arthur’s dick stirred and he braced his palms against the wall, curving his back. “Fuck me.”

“Arthur, what—? There’s no time for that, are you insane?”

“Just a little, just—” He didn’t even have time to finish his sentence before Merlin slammed inside, the slight swell of his knot pressing at the entrance of his hole. Arthur’s moan echoed in the shower and he spread his legs further, silently urging Merlin on. 

He didn’t know how he wanted this again already. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it wasn’t. He wasn’t feverish with want, he didn’t need it so badly he thought he’d die, he just wanted Merlin’s cock in his arse, liked the stretch of it as Merlin fucked him, going as deep as he could before the knot stopped him. It was small enough that it slipped in a little on each thrust.

“Fuck, Merlin.” Arthur turned his face into his arm. “Fucking fuck, we need to go.”

Merlin groaned, frustrated, but pulled back and left Arthur breathing heavily into the tiles. 

They got dressed hastily while Merlin cursed him out for starting a fuck they couldn’t finish, leaving both of them to go home with raging hard-ons. Arthur gave him one of his spare changes of clothes from his locker, and told him to shut up. 

Making it out before half-time was a close call. Arthur wasn’t sure how much it mattered because the locker room probably reeked of sex anyway. 

They went the opposite way of the pitch to avoid the teams as they came back, hurrying down the hallways of their empty school. They passed three empty classrooms before Arthur gave in, grabbed onto Merlin’s arm and pulled him into one. It was their English classroom.

What had his life even become? 

Merlin fucked him over the teacher’s desk, the swell of the knot now barely there, making him able to slam all the way in. Arthur’s thighs banged against the edge of the desk over and over, and he knew they’d bruise, but the dull ache of it was so good. He moaned, loving the way he wasn’t in a feverish fog of chaos. All of him was here, and he wasn’t doing this because he would die if he didn’t. 

His fingers curled over the edge of the desk and he pushed back on Merlin’s cock, groaning long and deep when Merlin came in him, fucking himself through it as he swore. All it took was Merlin jerking him messily a few times before he spilled into the palm of Merlin’s hand, his mind delirious with happiness. 

He was going to have a perpetual hard-on in English class, and that was pretty fucking unfortunate.

***

“How was the match?” was all Uther said when they met in the hall while Arthur was on the way to his room.

“Great. We won.” Arthur couldn’t imagine they’d done anything else. He took a shot on Coach keeping his predicament quiet and said, “I scored.”

“Good job, son.”

“Thanks.” Arthur hovered awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs. He was terribly aware of the mess in his pants. “I have homework.”

“Don’t forget I leave for London tomorrow for the conference,” his dad said, levelling him with a look. “Call me if something happens with your cycle.”

“Will do, dad.” 

As if. Arthur had never found anything more embarrassing than talking to his dad about cycles. Even though sometimes it was completely necessary. 

“And don’t forget to eat well, you need to be in good balance going into next week.”

“Dad, please stop talking about this. I’m starting to miss the days you wouldn’t even talk about me being an Omega.”

Something flashed across his dad’s face. “No chance. My son’s not going to be one of those Omegas who end up dead on the news because he didn’t know how to handle his heat.”

“Oh, god, fine. I’ll eat, I’ll drink, I’ll fuck myself with dildos.”

“Jesus Christ.” His dad pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’m glad you know what to do.”

“Good night, dad,” Arthur said, hurrying away from the conversation. “Have a good trip.”

He wondered what his dad would say if he knew how close he’d been to be one of those Omegas on the news. Actually, he knew exactly what he’d say. In great detail. He didn’t know whether to be mortified or pleased that his dad was so strict about his Omega routines these days. 

Probably pleased.

Arthur tipped over onto his bed, exhaustion making his limbs heavy. The embers in his stomach were subdued at the moment, but he knew they’d flame up again, drive him out of his mind. He looked over at the things he’d collected over the past few days. 

Water, snacks, sex toys.

He’d done this twice before, but this one was different. It had been more intense from the very start, and now he’d given his heat the taste of an Alpha. 

He didn’t know if Merlin would be willing to help him through this. They hadn’t talked much as Merlin followed him home (to ward off any rogue Alphas following his scent), and Arthur didn’t know if Merlin saw it as a one-time favour. 

The fact that they’d done it a second time had to say something, though? And kind of a third, even. Although, they'd still been high on the rush of it even then. Arthur knew that. 

Sighing heavily, he eyed his small collection of dildos and vibrators (knotless) and knew it would be just short of enough. 

He picked up his phone before he realised he didn’t even have Merlin’s number. Maybe that was best. He knew it was a lot to take in. At their age, heats and alpha instincts were usually taken care of by doctors and pills, even if that was never the best alternative. 

Managing to heave himself out of bed, he padded across the hall and into the bathroom for another shower. He’d just have to take care of himself. He’d done it before and there was no reason he couldn’t do it again. The water soothed his aches as he stood still, letting it rush over him. When he moved, he felt the phantom stretch of Merlin inside him. It made his cock stir. 

The embers in his stomach blazed brighter.


End file.
